April 13, 2023: Using GURPS Setting Books With Other RPGs?

Recently, Phil sent me a link to a fantastic RPG.Net thread where forum-user Hunter had compiled a lit of GURPS setting books and asked users to suggest alternate systems to use them with:

"Maybe there was a GURPS setting book you fell in love with, but you had a bunch of players who were severely allergic to the system. ("Too much math!"). Or maybe you liked the setting or the book, but wanted something a little or a lot less crunchy. Or maybe you heard that GURPS is a dead system (it kind of is and it kind of isn't), and you want to run games in the setting, but with a "live" system. No matter what the reason, there is a GURPS setting book that you would like to run in a different system. But what system?"

While I won't even touch that "dead system" comment . . . to say I'm a fan of indie RPGs would be putting it mildly. So of course I came up with a pretty big list on my own, and then ran to our TikTok page to share a few ideas.

@stevejacksongames What are your favorite GURPS settings, and have you ever used the book with another game system? #beggartok #gurps #gurpstok #ttrpg #gmtips ♬ original sound - Steve Jackson Games

Based on both the responses to the RPG.Net thread and the reaction to my video, using GURPS books with other systems seems to be a popular move. With their approachable layout, attention to detail, and huge variety of themes, GURPS setting books are fantastic resources for any roleplaying game! And it's easier to get some of the older ones than ever before, with over 120 titles so far in the GURPS On Demand series. 

Do you have a favorite GURPS setting you'd love to experience in a new ruleset? Or have you already done just that, and want to share how it went? Discuss this post in the forums (see link below), the SJ Games Discord, or drop me a Q&A on our TikTok; I only had time to share a fraction of my list in the video, and I may just do a part 2, so let me know if there's anything you'd like to see there!

-- Irene Zielinski